Dental appliance reinforcement

• US 20080268400A1
• Filed: 05/13/2008
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Align Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Align Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Kuo, Eric E., Moss, Jon F., Marzano, Lou, Wirth, Kelsey D.
• Granted Patent: US 11,026,768 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 433/24
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 13/0004 Computer-assisted sizing or machining of dental prostheses
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 7/00 Orthodontics, i.e. obtaining or maintaining the desired position of teeth, e.g. by straightening, evening, regulating, separating, or by correcting malocclusions
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 7/002 Orthodontic computer assisted systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 7/08 Mouthpiece-type retainers or positioners, e.g. for both the lower and upper arch arch-shaped medicament applicators for teeth or gums A61C19/063; mouthguards for protecting the teeth of sportsmen A63B71/085
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 9/00 Impression cups, i.e. impression trays; Impression methods computer-assisted sizing A61C13/0004; instruments for determining occlusion A61C19/05

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatuses for dental appliance reinforcement are provided. One dental appliance includes a number of tooth apertures for the placement of teeth therein wherein the number of tooth apertures include an interior surface and an exterior surface, and a reinforcement rib positioned along the exterior surface.

Claims

1. A dental appliance, comprising:

a number of tooth apertures for the placement of teeth therein;

wherein the number of tooth apertures include an interior surface and an exterior surface; and

a reinforcement rib positioned along the exterior surface.

2. The dental appliance of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the rib is positioned substantially laterally, across a length of at least one exterior surface of the number of tooth apertures.

3. The dental appliance of claim 2, wherein the rib is positioned to span across at least the exterior surfaces of two tooth apertures.

4. The dental appliance of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the rib is positioned substantially vertically, along the height of the exterior surface of one of the number of tooth apertures.

5. The dental appliance of claim 4, wherein the rib is positioned on the exterior surface of the dental appliance between two tooth apertures.

6. The dental appliance of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the rib is positioned, across a width of the exterior surface of one of the number of tooth apertures.

7. The dental appliance of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the rib is positioned substantially vertically, along the height of the exterior surface of one of the number of tooth apertures and across a width of the exterior surface of one of the number of tooth apertures.

8. The dental appliance of claim 7, wherein the rib is positioned on the exterior surface of the dental appliance between two teeth apertures.

9. The dental appliance of claim 1, wherein the rib is sized to not interfere with an interface surface of a dental appliance that is to abut a portion of the exterior surface of one of the number of tooth apertures.

10. A dental appliance system, comprising:

a dental appliance having a number of tooth apertures for the placement of teeth therein;

wherein the number of tooth apertures include an interior surface and an exterior surface; and

a number of ribs for reinforcing the dental appliance regarding one or more forces.

11. The dental system of claim 10, wherein the number of ribs includes a number of torsional reinforcing ribs for reinforcing the dental appliance regarding one or more torsional forces.

12. The dental system of claim 11, wherein the number of ribs includes a number of perpendicular force reinforcing ribs for reinforcing the dental appliance regarding one or more forces perpendicular to a line at the center of one of the number of apertures and elongate in a direction of a center of an adjacent tooth aperture.

13. The dental system of claim 10, wherein the number of ribs includes a number of perpendicular force reinforcing ribs for reinforcing the dental appliance regarding one or more forces perpendicular to a line at the center of one of the number of apertures and elongate in a direction of a center of an adjacent tooth aperture.

14. The dental system of claim 10, wherein the number of ribs includes a number of a number of reinforcing ribs that each provide reinforcing for the dental appliance regarding one or more torsional forces one or more forces perpendicular to a line at the center of one of the number of apertures and elongate in a direction of a center of an adjacent tooth aperture.

15. The dental system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the number of ribs has a semicircular cross-section.

16. The dental system of claim 10, wherein the number of ribs includes a number of lateral reinforcing ribs for reinforcing the dental appliance regarding one or more translational forces.

17. A method comprising:

forming a virtual teeth model of one or more of a patient'"'"'s teeth on a computing device;

forming a virtual dental appliance based upon information from the virtual teeth model; and

forming a number of ribs on the virtual dental appliance based upon the shape of the virtual dental appliance.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the number of ribs are formed based upon information about force that the dental appliance may experience in a patient'"'"'s mouth.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the method includes forming an actual appliance to be positioned within a patient'"'"'s mouth based upon the virtual dental appliance forming in the computing device.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein forming an actual appliance includes forming the actual appliance including the number of ribs using a rapid prototyping process.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein forming an actual appliance includes forming the actual appliance using a rapid prototyping process and attaching a number of ribs to the actual appliance.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the actual appliance including the number of ribs is formed from one material.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the actual appliance and the number of ribs are formed from different materials.